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Establishment of the Tang Anxi Protectorate

Type Event Region Central Asia Time 640

In 640 the Tang established the Anxi Protectorate in the Western Regions, initially seated at Gaochang and later at Kucha, as the key institution gov…

Timeline

  1. 640Gaochang · XinjiangHou Junji led an army to destroy the Gaochang kingdom; the Tang set up Xizhou in its former territory and established the Xizhou Protectorate there as a forward base for operations in the Western Regions.
  2. 640Gaochang · XinjiangThe Tang elevated the Xizhou Protectorate into the Anxi Protectorate, extending its jurisdiction to both sides of the Tianshan range and making it the highest-level military-administrative institution in the Western Regions.
  3. 648Kucha · XinjiangAfter the Tang conquered Kucha, the Anxi Protectorate's seat moved from Gaochang to Kucha, strengthening control over the kingdoms south of the Tianshan and bringing the middle stretch of the Silk Road under direct Tang administration.

Sources